Cutting shear having a gripping device



July 1970 A. K. PFAFFENBACH 3,520,053

CUTTING SHEAR HAVING A GRIPPING DEVICE l Filed March 20, 1968 59 1) 56 38 52 26 r\\ J 1 34 INVENTOR. I2 24 v ARTHUR K. PFAFFENBACH 2'- I4 58 so BY M7M AT TORNEY,

United States Patent Oflice 3,520,058 Patented July 14, 1970 3,520,058 CUTTING SHEAR HAVING A GRIPPING DEVICE Arthur W. Pfaifenbach, Watertown, Wis., assignor to McGraw-Edison Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 714,678 Int. Cl. B26b 13/00 U.S. Cl. 30-134 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cutting shear having a gripping device for holding until released an item, such as a twig, to be cuti and including cooperating jaw members mounted on the cutting blades, one jaw member being fixed to one blade and the other jaw member being slidably and pivotally supported relative to the other blade and biased by a spring toward the one jaw member and against the one jaw member when the shear is closed, and the jaw members being aligned with or coplanar of the cutting edges on the blades when the shear is opened fully.

In trimming hedges and other such plants, it would be desirable to ease or eliminate the problem of clean-up, if the clippings could readily be collected concurrently with the actual trimming. The clean-up problem can be serious if, for example, the plant trimmed or surrounding growth had thorns or the like which readily become entangled upon contact. Poor clean-up of trimmings is only too evident within a few days by the contrasting colors.

This invention relates to a cutting shear having a gripping device which is adapted to grip and hold until released the item that is to be cut. More particularly, this invention relates to a gripping device including opposed jaw members respectively supported on the blades of the shear, one jaw member being both pivotally and slidably supported relative to its blade and biased by a spring toward the other jaw member to permit secure resilient gripping of one or more items by the jaw members even when the items are not centered relative to the blades.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved gripping device for use on a cutting shear for holding until released an item to be cut, the device being such that it can be readily adapted with little modification to existing cutting shears.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cutting device for a shear having a movable jaw member which is biased by a generally C-shaped spring element against a cooperating stationary jaw member, and the movable jaw member further being movable about an intermediate sliding pivot relative to its blade to ensure reliable gripping of any item to be cut. 1

These and other objects of this invention will be more fully appreciated after referring to the following specification, the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cutting shear having a preferred embodiment of the subject gripping device, showing the shear in the open position and a twig to be cut relative to the blades and device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1, except showing the shear closed and the cut twig held by the subject gripping device;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view, as seen generally from the back of FIG. 2, with part of the structure being broken away for the sake of clarity; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged sectional views, as seen respectively from 44 in FIG. 1 and 55 in FIG. 2.

The drawing shows a typical hedge shear having a pair of blades 12 and 14 which are pivoted together at pivot 16 and which are connected by appropriate means to handles 18 and 20. In the shear shown, the handle 18 and blade 12 are fixed together and the handle 20 and blade 14 are fixed together. Movement of the handles toward one another thus advances respective cutting edges 22 and 24 on the blades 12 and 14 in shearing relationship past one another.

The particular invention is a device generally indicated at 26 suitable for gripping and holding an item to be out, such as a twig 28. The device 26 includes a stationary jaw member 32 which is connected to blade 12 on the side thereof remote from blade 14 and which presents an upstanding serrated gripping face 33 in general coplanar relationship to but spaced from cutting edge 22. A movable jaw member 34 having an upstanding serrated gripping face 35 is secured to the blade 14 on the side thereof adjacent the blade 12 by means of pin 38. The pin 38 is secured to the blade 14 but fits within slot 40 formed in the jaw member 34 so that the entire jaw member 34 can be moved transversely of the blade 14 toward and away from the jaw member 32 and pivoted about the pin 38. A peripheral flange 44 projects from the jaw member 34 in the direction toward blade 14 and is shaped to complement and engage the remote edge 46 of the blade 14, as can be seen generally in FIG. 1, when the shear is open. The flange 44 when engaging the rear edge 46 of the blade 14 retains face 35 on the jaw member 34 in generally coplanar relationship to the cutting edge 24 of the blade 14.

A generally C-shaped wire element spring 50 is positioned within a recess 52 on the underside of the jaw member 34 and is thus confined between the jaw member 34 and its supporting blade 14. The spring 50 is looped at 54 to present a rearwardly facing surface which engages and confines laterally therein the pin 38, and further has laterally directing free ends 56 which fit within elongated slots or second recesses 58 (FIG. 5) further defined within the recess 52 and are confined against the peripheral walls 59 of the slots 58. The spring 50 thereby tends to bias the jaw member 34 in a direction away from the pin 38 and toward the opposing blade 12 and its jaw member 32 until restrained by the flange 44 of the jaw member 32. The slotted recesses 58 accommodates pivoting and lateral movement of the jaw member 34 about the pin 38.

In normal operation of the shear 10, the portion of the twig 28 which is to be cut and removed from the remainder of the plant or hedge is disposed on the side of the cutting blades adjacent the opposing jaw faces 33 and 35. Upon manipulation of the handles 18 and 20 toward one another and the corresponding shearing advance of the blades 12 and 14, the jaw faces engage and thereby grip the opposing sides of the twig 28. In the situation shown where only a single twig happens to be engaged, jaw member 32 will pivot about the pin 38 and move laterally of the blade 14, against the bias of spring 50, until the blades completely shear the twig and the cutting action terminates. The spring 50 holds the jaw members against the. twig with a sufiicient gripping force to hold the twig and permit the removal of the shear from proximity of the plant. The shear can then be opened to release the twig where desired such as in a common pile or over a basket.

The gripping device has been shown on a hedge shear where the cutting blades are in excess of six inches long, and the jaw faces extend nearly the length of the blades. The moving jaw member 34 would engage the stationary jaw member 32 at the end edges 62 thereof closest to the pivot 16 and furtherest from the free ends of the blades. To provide smooth shifting of the moving jaw member, the slot 40 is sloped approximately 10 from the normal to the jaw face 35 and in the direction along the slot toward the jaw face away from the ends 64 of the jaw face and blade. Also, the slot is located relative to the jaw member 34 slightly closer to the pivot edge 62 than the tip edge 64. With this construction the moving jaw member 34 can orient itself as required to grip one or more twigs against the opposing jaw member, even though the twigs may not be centered relative to the jaw faces.

I claim:

1. For use with a cutting shear having first and second fiush mounted blades pivoted together to move respective first and second cutting edges on the blades in shearing relationship relative to one another, a device for gripping and holding until released an item to be cut, comprising the combination of a first jaw member secured to the first blade on the side thereof opposite the second blade and having an upstanding first jaw face spaced from but in substantially coplanar alignment with the first cutting edge; a second jaw member associated with the second blade on the side thereof adjacent the first blade and having a second jaw face adapted to abut and generally complement the first jaw face; means pivotally and slidably connecting the second blade and second jaw member together, and including a pin secured to the second blade and extending through a slot in the second jaw member extending at a sharp angle relative to the second jaw face, and the pin being headed over to confine the second jaw member against the second blade, the underside of the second jaw member having a first recess therein, and a generally C-shaped spring member received in the first recess and having free ends transversely bent and confined slidably in respective second recesses each elongated generally in the direction of the second jaw face and an intermediate portion of the spring member engaging and being confined by the pin whereby the spring member normally biases the second jaw member toward the first jaw member, and peripheral flange on the second jaw member at an edge remote from the second jaw face adapted to engage the remote side of the second blade for retaining the second jaw face in substantially coplanar alignment with the second cutting edge when the spring member is in its most relaxed position and the blades are fully opened.

2. A cutting shear according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is in the form of a cylindrical wire element formed to the defined shaped.

3. A cutting shear according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second jaw faces is serrated.

4. A cutting shear according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second cutting edges of the blades is in excess of six inches long, and wherein each of the first and second jaw faces extends substantially the full length of the respective cutting edge.

5. A cutting shear according to claim 1, wherein the slot in the second jaw member is angled approximately 10 from the normal toward the second jaw face in the direction of travel along the slot towards the jaw face away from edge thereof corresponding to the end of the second blade.

6. A cutting shear according to claim 5, wherein the slot is located slightly further from the mentioned end edge of the jaw face than from the opposite edge of the jaw face.

7. For use with a cutting shear having first and second flush mounted blades pivoted together to move respective first and second cutting edges on the blades in shearing relationship relative to one another, a device for gripping and holding until released an item to be cut, comprising the combination of a first jaw member secured to the first blade on the side thereof opposite the second blade and having an upstanding first jaw face; a second jaw member associated with the second blade on the side thereof adjacent the first blade and having a second jaw face adapted to abut the first jaw face; means pivotally and slidably connecting the second blade and second jaw member together, and including a pin secured to the second blade and received in a slot in the second jaw member extending at a sharp angle relative to the second jaw face, the underside of the second jaw member having a recess therein, and a generally C-shaped spring member received in the recess and having free ends confined slidably therein to move in the general direction of the second jaw face and means on the intermediate portion of the spring member for engaging the pin whereby the spring member normally biases the second jaw member toward the first jaw member; and means on the second jaw member adapted to engage the second blade for limiting movement of the second jaw face toward the first jaw member when the spring member is in its most relaxed position and the blades are fully opened.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 57,553- 8/1866 Neff 30135 271,982 2/1883 Holley 30-134 547,408 10/ 1895 Anderson 30--135 1,458,878 6/1923 Dexter 30134 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,676 9/ 1902 Great Britain. 274,001 5/ 1930 Italy,

ROBERT c. RIORDON, Primary Examiner J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner 

